Title – The Penguin Lessons (2024)

Director – Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty)

Cast – Steve Coogan, Jonathan Pryce, Vivian El Jaber, Alfonsina Carrocio

Plot – Based on the true story of English teacher Tom Michell (Coogan) who having recently taken up a new role at an Argentinian school overseen by Headmaster Buckle (Pryce) in the politically tumultuous late 1970’s comes across a distressed penguin he ends up caring for, changing his life forever.  

“The penguin is not a communist”

Review by Eddie on 08/09/2025

Based on Tom Michell’s memoir of the same name, British backed true life dramedy The Penguin Lessons attempted to become one of the rare dramatic box office hits earlier this year but despite a collection of middling to solid reviews, The Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo’s well-intentioned but not very sincere or naturalistic feature failed to make much of an impression.

Teaming up one time comedy heavyweight turned more dramatically minded Steve Coogan with a Magellanic penguin and setting them in a late 1970’s Argentinian setting, Lessons has what appears to be on paper the foundation for a stereotypical crowd pleasing affair but while some are no doubt going to enjoy the mix of political, humour and drama elements here as well as a fish (bird) out of water friendship angle, for the most part Lessons labours along unable to grasp any of its ingredients in a significant way.

For a film that marketed itself around the concept of Coogan learning about life and making a friend for life in the form of his little feathered friend, Lessons never manages to truly unlock the full potential of this human/animal friendship spending far more time on school set drama, budding romances and the political climate at the time in Argentina, making Lessons a film that feels like it sold itself on a false promise with a very insincere undertone throughout that makes this a hard film to warm too despite Coogan’s best efforts.

Supported by the as per usual very solid Jonathan Pryce as Michell’s headmaster/boss Timothy Buckle, Coogan once more showcases his dramatic chops here but he is let down by a lack of memorable human support and his feathered co-star doesn’t exactly steal the spotlight and Jeff Pope’s overdone screenplay doesn’t do him or the film any favours as it drags along to its close to two hour running time.

For a film of Lessons ilk to really work and stand out from the crowded marketplace the human element, animal elements and dramatic stakes all need to work together towards a common goal and that just never takes place here, making Cattaneo’s film a missed opportunity to create something heartfelt and memorable as while it looks and feels the parts in ways, it’s a hollow vessel of a feature that fails to inspire, intrigue or warm the hearts of viewers willing to give it a go.

Final Say –

A true story that had the potential to become a breakout feature for the more mature minded cinema going audience, The Penguin Lessons never comes across as a film that knows what it wants to be and never has the sincerity of heart to make us warm to this venture the way we would want.

2 bathtubs out of 5